Best Free Slots Casinos in South Africa 2024
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One of the features that makes online slots more popular than their land-based counterparts is the ability to play them for free. The best free slots in South Africa allow you to play the games without spending a dime. Not to be confused with the free spins bonus rounds, it involves playing online slots for free following the conventional way, without spending real money. You open the game, pick your bet limits, start spinning the reels, and see if you are a winner. The only downside is that you won’t be able to win any real money during gameplay since no real money is involved.
Getting started playing gambling slots free is a simple and direct process. On this page, we show you how to go about the process. We also compare the two modes of playing online slots – free vs real money – and give you the advantages of each. We’ve highlighted several platforms if you are unsure where to play gaming slots for free online. You will also find information regarding the different types of slots, common jargon associated with the games, and a few examples you can play online.
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Written & published:
23.02.2023 By author
Elishama A.
Reviewed & updated:
21.04.2024 By gambling expert
Brad I.
Getting started to play free slots
Playing slots online for free is as old as the online casino industry. Software providers and online casinos have collaborated for decades to ensure you can try a game before committing your hard-earned cash. And to make the games as accessible as possible to players, they have simplified the process of playing them for free. This can be done in two ways.
The first way is by visiting an online casino site and opening the game you want. For this, you don’t require an account. As long as the online casino offers its services to South Africans, you can play all the slot games it offers in free mode without spending cash. This is the most common way among many SA online casinos. The second group of online casinos requires you to create an account before you can play slots online for free. It’s rare to come by such casinos; if you run into them, you must comply with this condition.
Regardless, playing slots in a free mode is a great way to play the spinners, and you should always take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. You can enjoy all the features available in real money mode without spending a dime. The only downside is that you won’t be able to win any money during gameplay. Whatever you win is only virtual currency, which you cannot withdraw.
Free vs real money slots
There are several reasons why anyone would visit an online casino. To seek
- Excitement
- Amusement
- Escapism
- Or earn some money
All these factors and much more can be achieved through real money or free gambling slots. The free-to-play and real money slots offer plenty of advantages and also have some of their disadvantages. For example, many SA players hardly focus on losses or wins when playing gaming slots for free. Their objective is to have as much fun as possible. In the process, they end up enjoying the game more, as their primary goal is to be entertained. Since no money is involved, there is very little chance that a player will likely become a victim of problematic gambling.
There’s still more to play slots online for free. Keen players can notice a few patterns that can boost their gameplay during real money mode. Such patterns can be established regarding money management. You can develop a bankroll management plan to use when you switch to real money mode.
Playing online slots for free is fun, but putting some money on the line takes it to a new level of excitement. Many adrenaline junkies consider real money casino games as a way of experiencing the same feelings as participating in extreme sports. With money on the line, any win you score while playing online slots means you get to keep it. You can use the money to play other games and win more cash or simply cash it out and use it for other things.
How we choose the right online casino for free slots
Just like there are thousands of online slots you can play online, the number of online casinos you can visit to play these games is in the thousands. Online slots come with different themes, styles of play, bet limits, and many other aspects. Such differences are also present in high roller online casinos. It goes without saying that it is up to you to decide which site to visit when looking to play online slots. Whether it is in real money mode or you are simply looking to have fun playing slots for free online, you must consider every aspect of the brand.
Unfortunately, not all players know what to look for when considering a brand. We have recommended several online casinos for you to visit. Any of the sites you find here must prove to us beyond doubt that it excels in the following areas before it is listed on our page.
Easy signup procedures
When reviewing this, we look at steps or measures the online casino has put in place to ensure you quickly create an account. The best online casinos in South Africa to play slots online for free know a player can quickly change their mind if the signup procedures are long and tedious.
Therefore, such brands have shortened the signup procedures by including forms that require only relevant information such as your email and password. Once you verify your email, the other information, such as your name, address, and mobile phone number verification, can be completed later.
To begin our reviewing process, we take our desktop, create an account with the site, and see how fast it can be completed. We also take our mobile phones and repeat the same process, only this time on a smaller screen. Creating two accounts on different platforms is important because it helps us identify if there is any problem on mobile. We will let you know through our review if we encounter any issues.
Diverse bonus program
Creating an account is just the first step in reviewing an online casino. Once the account has been created, we first look at the bonuses and promotions being offered. In addition to variety, there are other aspects we consider. We scrutinise the numbers and how well they match the accompanying terms and conditions. Under the terms and conditions, we consider wagering requirements and the expiry dates of the bonuses and promotions. We also consider the qualifying games for the bonus and minimum deposit (if there are any) requirements.
For example, a 100% match deposit bonus of up to R10,000 with a minimum deposit requirement of R20 can have a wagering requirement of x50. The wagering requirement has to be satisfied within seven days after the bonus has been credited to your account. The bonus has to be claimed within 48 hours after it has been activated. Such a bonus or promotion is unsuitable for a casual player as the WRs are high considering the time frame one has to satisfy them. So, in such a case, we will advise the reader so that he/she can choose whether to claim it (or not).
Reliability and good reputation in the gambling market
Once the promotions have been reviewed, we consider the reliability and reputation of the brand in the gambling market. This process involves two things: using the platform ourselves to deposit and play the games before proceeding and researching what other players have to say about it. While using the site, we look at how reliable and efficient the payment methods’ reliability and efficiency. We also consider how fast the games load, the usability and navigation aspects of the site, and their efforts to resolve queries by players.
Based on the data collected, we then proceed and do research and see what other players and competitors have to say about the brand. We visit forums where players share their experiences playing online. As you would expect, all the information we gather will be shared with you unfiltered. This way, you can make the best judgement to sign up with the brand (or not).
Variety of free online slots
An online casino site is as good as the quality and variety of free online slots it offers, and the best online casinos in South Africa know the importance of being diverse. That is why, in addition to including tens and thousands of online slots, they ensure these games are accessible as possible. They also partner with several software developers to ensure they constantly provide them with new releases. This way, their players can always look forward to new free gambling slots.
When reviewing a real money online casino under this category, we must look at the numbers, software providers behind them, and whether you can play the game slots for free. We also look at the accessibility of these games. Remember, at the start of this guide, we mentioned there are instances where you must sign up with the casino to access the free slots. If that is true with an online casino, we will mention it under this category.
Competent and fast customer support
It’s not always the case to have a fluid gaming experience, even at the best online casinos with free gambling slots. Challenges usually occur while using the platform, or one can have a question regarding how to go about a specific aspect of the casino. What matters most when such a scenario happens is how prepared and fast the online gambling site is to tackle the issue.
While we may not experience an issue while playing on the platform ourselves, we usually take a different approach to rate the customer support services at the site. To start the process, we first look at the channels that can be used to contact the support team. A minimum deposit casino site with multiple communication channels ranks higher than the one with just a few. The next step is to test the customer support team’s preparedness, knowledgeability, and professionalism. For this, we will ask questions to which we already know the answers just to see how the support team will react. We then write our review based on how the online casino handled the case.
Best providers of free online slots
Online gambling owes a huge debt of gratitude to software providers. These companies have single-handedly changed the entire gambling industry, transferring traditional brick-and-mortar casino games to their digital formats. Companies such as Betsoft, Genesis, Playtech, Microgaming, and many others are at the forefront of this digital revolution. These are considered heavy hitters, and they are responsible for designing free gambling slots with cutting-edge gameplay, 3D entertainment, and maximum immersion.
Betsoft online free slots
Betsoft is a British company best known for developing online free slots with 3D graphics. The company uses EXPANDICON technology to create slots with unrivalled graphics quality and seamless gameplay while reducing game load times. Beyond the looks, Betsoft’s online free slots have unique and captivating storylines. They also have plenty of bonus rounds and features, as seen in games such as Mr. Vegas, Expansion, Trinity Reels, Captain’s Quest Treasure Island, Book of Helios, and many more. Betsoft is licensed and regulated by the Government of Curacao, which certifies the integrity of each game.
Genesis online free slots
Genesis Gaming has more than ten years of experience designing and developing innovative theme-based casino games. Its portfolio has about 150 games for you to pick, which is rather shallow compared to what other companies offer. Even with the shallow game portfolio, their games stand out thanks to Genesis Gaming’s innovative thinking. The games have original and creative themes, which occasionally feature cute characters in surreal setups. You can play The Boom Squad, Year of the Dog, Antique Riches, and Valley of the Kings online slots for free.
Playtech online free slots
Playtech has to be one of the biggest software providers in the iGaming industry. The company was among the first to venture into the online casino industry. Since 1999 when the company was founded, Playtech has been designing state-of-the-art and entertaining slots. Every year, it continues to release fun games such as Joker Rush, Leprechaun’s Luck Cash Collect, and Princess Gaja. Recently, Playtech released a few slots under the “Sporting Legends” category. These feature iconic sporting figures such as Frank Bruno, Roberto Carlos, Frankie Dettori, and many more. You can play all these slots online for free at some of the top-rated Playtech casinos.
Microgaming online free slots
There is no doubt that Microgaming is one of the most successful online casino game software providers. The company has made so many contributions to the iGaming industry that it should certainly have its name etched in history as it changed how casino games would be played. For example, in 2002, they designed the first ever downloadable software through their Viper software. They are also the brains behind creating the 243 ways to win feature, which showed the likes of BTG that more reels could be added to an online slot to make it more fun. These are just a few features that Microgaming has achieved. At the time of writing this, the company has over 500 free slot games you can play from your desktop or mobile. Among them include the record-breaking Mega Moolah progressive jackpot game, Thunderstruck, Game of Thrones, Cricket Star, DeadMau5, and more.
Rival Gaming online free slots
Rival Gaming was founded in 2010, and today it has more than 100 slots online for free. Even though the portfolio is slightly limited compared to what Microgaming, Playtech, and NetEnt offer, they design quality games. You can see the originality and different approach to developing slots by looking at games such as Money Train 3, Wild Yield, Dead Riders Trail, Jurassic Party, and Santa Stack. Because of this, Rival Gaming develops games for itself and is contracted by other casino software providers to design games on their behalf.
RTG online free slots
RTG stands for Real Time Gaming. Although a relatively unknown name in the iGaming industry, in terms of hype and reviews, RTG is one of the biggest software providers in terms of stature. It develops free slot games and powers over 500 online casinos. Some popular RTG games you can play online include Achilles, Aztec’s Millions, Bubble Bubble, Eagle Shadow Fist, Fire Dragon, and Lucha Libre, among many others.
Wolf Gold free slot
Wolf Gold by Pragmatic play
Types of free online slots
The first online slot machine was developed in the 1880s by Charles Fey. This slot machine was referred to as the Liberty Bell. Since then, many modifications have been made to the mechanical slot machine to give rise to thousands of slots. These games can be played both at land-based and new online casinos.
Compared to their land-based counterparts, online slots are more advanced in terms of display, animation, in-game features, and bonus rounds. That is why you see over 10,000 online free slots. Irrespective of the enormous number, they are classified into a few categories: classic 3-reel, 5-reel, progressive jackpot, and online slots with unusual layouts. Let us have a closer look at each category.
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Classic 3-reel free slots
There is a good reason these free slot games are called classic: they use the traditional format of three reels and one to five paylines. They also tend to use some classical themes found at the slots in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. This includes featuring BARs, 7s, Bells, Fruits, and Joker symbols.
There is a special group that uses slightly sophisticated themes, and yet they are classified as classics. Examples include games such as Book of Ra (Novomatic), Buffalo (Aristocrat), Hot Shot (Bally), Shining Crown Scarab (EGT), and many more. They are considered classics because they have been on the casino floor for many years. Some are still played today on the gaming machines at land-based casinos. From this simple definition, you can tell that there is nothing complicated about the classic 3-reel free online slots. This makes them an excellent choice for beginners trying to learn how to play slots online.
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5-reel free slots
This group of free slot games is more recent than their classic 3-reel counterparts and laid the foundation for their successors, free slots with unusual layouts. Building on what their single-pay line 3-reel counterparts offer, 5-reel online free slots incorporate more paylines, reels (of course), and imagery. Thanks to technological advancements in the mid-2000s, software providers could play around with the format of their slot games to make them more entertaining and appealing to their players.
They could now choose the theme they want to include in the slots. So in place of the BARs, 7s, Bells, Fruit, and Fire symbols, they started using themes from TV programs, fairytales, and day-to-day things that players could relate to. That is how games such as Thunderstruck (based on Norse mythology), Baywatch (based on a TV series with the same name), Jack and the Beanstalk (based on a famous fairytale), and many more came to be. A significant advantage of this lot of games is that it has more paylines. As such, it increases your winning chances from a single spin compared to the classical version.
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Free slots with unusual layouts
You can already tell that there are many types of games under this. Basically, these are advanced versions of five-reel slots. Software providers tweak the concept behind three- and five-reel slots to get whatever their imagination desires.
For example, we have cascading reel slots. These have their reels falling from above the screen with every win, creating what seems to be a cascading effect. Online free slots with Cascading Reels include Bonanza (Big Time Gaming), Jammin Jars (Push Gaming), Esqueleto Explosivo 2 (Thunderkick), and many more. This group of slots is also referred to as Tumbling Reels, Rolling Reels, Falling Reels, or Avalanche Slots.
Another group of slots is both-win-pays free gambling slots. Usually, wins in online slots are formed by landing symbols from the leftmost reel to the rightmost reel. With this group, wins can be formed either way. Examples under this include Starburst (NetEnt), The Hive (Betsoft), and Captain Treasures (Playtech). Other popular categories under this include Megaways free online slots, Cluster Pays online free slots, plus many more.
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Free slots with a progressive jackpot
Progressive jackpots aren’t a new concept. They originated at land-based casinos before moving to the online platform. In fact, the biggest progressive jackpot to be paid out is $42.9 million, which was won by a woman playing the Megabucks slot machine at the Excalibur Casino, Las Vegas. How does the prize get so enormous? The concept behind every progressive jackpot is that a small portion goes toward the pot for every bet wagered. This continues until one lucky player(s) takes it all. This is how progressive prize pools can grow into their millions.
It’s worth noting that progressive jackpots can be played for free, but you can only win the coveted prize when you stake a bet. There are cases where they are exclusively available in real money mode. Popular free gambling slots you can play under this category include Mega Moolah (Microgaming), Mega Fortune Dreams (NetEnt), Age of the Gods (Playtech), and many more.
Enchanted free slot
Guide to free slot terms
Understanding the type of slots for free online you can play is one step closer to becoming a better player. Knowing basic jargon, such as paylines, wild and scatter symbols, winning combinations, and much more will make you a complete player. It will not only make it enjoyable and fun to play slots, but you will also get to understand what is happening on the screens. You will not just be looking at the reels spin and get mesmerised.
- Winning combination is a combination you form by landing similar symbols along an active payline. It is responsible for payouts in a slot game.
- Payline is a line where winning symbols align themselves to form a winning combination. There are now horizontal paylines, zigzag, diagonal, and all sorts of patterns.
- Bonus feature can be triggered by landing special bonus symbols during the base game. Once active, it takes you to a mini-game which can require you to complete milestones to receive extra rewards.
- Wild symbol: This plays the same role as the Ace of Spades in poker. It replaces all the other symbols (besides the scatter) to form the best winning combination.
- Scatter symbol: It’s as important as the wild symbol as it triggers different bonus features during gameplay. The most common feature triggered by scatter symbols is a free spins game.
- Free spins: They do as they say on the tin; they allow you to spin the reels for free. However, unlike free spins in demo mode, free spins during bonus games allow you to win real money.
- Autoplay mode can be activated by selecting the “Auto Play” button. This lets you choose the number of times you’d like the reels to respin themselves without you manually pressing the spin button.
- Cascading Wins are formed when you score a win and the symbols responsible disappear from the reels. The spaces left on the reels are filled by cascading symbols. If wins are formed during this process, the process repeats itself until no more wins are formed.
Conclusion
The majority of online casinos in South Africa have free online slots. If you are wise enough, you should use these free-to-play games to familiarise yourself with what the game offers. Learn about the bonus rounds and in-game features such as bet limits, symbols, multipliers, wild and scatter symbols, and each feature’s function. Only then can you decide whether the game fits your gaming needs and if to play it. Top-rated and highly reputable online casinos in South Africa ensure the games are easily accessible and fun. The best free slots in South Africa can be played on any platform, including desktops, laptops, and all internet-enabled mobile devices.
